Like silvercomet said, even though the company may accept you, if the contract says that brush must be cleared out to 50 ft. from house, ... ... if it wasn't, whether your responsibility or not, they would almost certainly disallow your claim. Which leaves you with only a piece of paper in hand (your insurance contract) rather than any compensation. Would you be happy with the prospect of erecting a tent on your property, following a fire? What kind of coverage can you find relative to building on steep slope? Good wishes for keeping yourself well and truly covered. ole joyful P.S. Never mind - should you be burned out, with no coverage ... ... you'll still own the property, which would have some value. Which is more than hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Africa and elsewhere possess, currently. o j

We have State Farm, and I recently questioned them about what will happen when our home gets older, 10 years old, to be precise. I was told that they will only insure it after it is 10 years old if the home meets very specific requirements, including a new furnace, hot water heater, roof, etc. For those who have had these things done, and can prove it, it may help in getting insurance. For those getting these things done, it would be wise to retain proof the work was done.

Keep in mind that the actual cash value of the house may NOT be enough to rebuild even a smaller house. Losses above a certain percentage of the house's value must usually be rebuilt according to modern building codes which can considerably add to the cost of rebuilding a damaged dwelling. Replacement in kind coverage usually covers these upgrades, but lower, stated value policies do not. Also if you have a mortgage on the property, the lender may require insurance equal to the value of the note. In some states choosing not full replacement value insurance significantly affects (downward) the amount of recovery if the building/contents are a total loss. Make sure you understand what choices and the consequences of them. Choosing to insure only to the appraised value ignores the substantial functional value that is inherrent in older houses. It ignores the value that exists as an occupiable dwelling that is separate from what you could get for it. And even if your idea is to just move away, you should know that in some cases, especially fires, you can't just take the check. You may have to rebuild, or at least use the all proceeds to repair the structure. This is an anti-arson fraud rule. Otherwise unscrupulous people would just burn down insured, but unwanted, buildings and use the insurance money to "cash out." We carry a very high deductuble policy, but with replacement in-kind coverage on our mid 19th c. house. When we had substantial damage from a tornado our company worked with us, and even brought in a specialist on older buildings to help work out what it would cost to repair the building. They kind of wistfully suggested we might prefer dry wall and asphalt shingles, but paid, without quibble, the full cost of plaster and slate. L.

Since this is what I do on a daily basis I will tell you it is always best to give your agent as much information as possible, it's the only way we can help you protect yourself and your belongings. Your agent should not make any changes your not in agreement to. Now having said that, the reason the roof question comes up and will continue to come up is because insurance companies are looking to reduce thier risk. Depending on where you live and I can only speak of the midwest area because that's where I live and sell, our biggest risk is wind and hail damage to roofs. Most of the big companies in this area are going to actual cash value on the roofs. What does that mean to you? Instead of replacing your roof minus your deductible they will instead take the age of the roof, subtract the depreciation and your deductible and pay the difference. In this year the magic number seems to be 16 - 17 years of age on the roof. Thats were the actual cash value will kick in with a percentage paid out, every year older and that percentage will continue to decrease. This is why an annual review as a consumer is very important, you want to make sure you have replacement. This is also an opportunity for your agent to endorse or re-write the policy to actual cash value, look like he's saving you money and unless it is discussed and agreed to, you might not be the wiser until a claim. As far as your personal belongings, that's very difficult for anyone to put a price on, think about your summer clothing that's all put away now, the Christmas decorations that are now being brought out, all those tools in the garage and how about the shed in the back. Then there is the basement if you have one, the attic if you don't. Instead of worrying about that number, your agent will give you an option for a percentage of your dwelling coverage. That number in this area is usually about 70%, for many that's not realistic. As for the "flood insurance in the basement" you have some sort of water sewer back up coverage, not flood insurance. By all means if you have had an issue with it, keep that coverage. If your insurance company suffers alot of those type of claims, they may increase the cost of that coverage or possibly reduce the amount of coverage. You need to be aware of that. Your deductible, way too low. If you have collision coverage on your auto I'll bet your homeowner's deductible is the same amount. You need to consider a $1,000 deductible. If you put in a claim for anything less you will pay more than that in the next few years. Your agent will be looking to do a replacement cost estimator with you to help you determine your coverage's. If you've replaced your furnace or central air conditioning make sure to let your agent know that. If you have a security system, let him know that as well. Be aware, if after your interview he suggest that he rewrite the policy they may order an inspection. An inspector will walk the outside of the property looking for things that affect the companies risk. Brush growing too close to the side of the home affecting the siding, soffits and roofs. Tree that over hang the roof or brush that sits on the roof and siding. Tripping hazards, splits in sidewalks or cement/asphalt driveways. Decks, rotten boards, low or missing rails. Chipped paint is also a big one. The roof, are there any missing shingles or curled shingles. The list can go on and if you don't pass the inspection depending on your state you will be given 45 days to repair the problems or the policy may be terminated. Then you could be up a creek especially if at the time the agent writes the new policy, he terminated the old policy. I hope this helps, I know it's alot of information but like I said, this is what I do.